64 replies to this topic

[solo58]

Yup... Hard Drive DST Short Test Error Code 0142 Msg: Error Code 2000-0142 Msg: Unit 0: Drive Self Test failed. Status byte = 70 Error Code: 0146 Is there any way I can retrieve the data from the HD?

[Nahumi]

Yes, there is. Just follow these instructions :

A.) Download Linux Puppy from here:Puppy Download

Its a download of only about 100MB, so a broadband connection is advisable for the download... Puppy is an alternative operating system..... it does not need Windows to run, and the licence to use it is free of charge and comes included automatically. It is different in its interface from Windows, but sufficiently intuitive for most folks to use it successfully without problem.

B.) Burn the iso (that you have downloaded) to CD ROM as an "image"...it must be as an image, a copy will not work!........Imgburn is good for this, available from here:

http://www.imgburn.c...hp?act=download

C.) Switch on your "original" computer and Set Bios to Boot from CD as first priority...on most Dells it's F2 to enter the Bios (set up) otherwise try F12, Esc or Del

NOTE you will need to press the appropriate key (to enter the Bios) immediately after power on.
Your hard drive should be next in priority followed by USB/network if the settings provide these options. Remember to save your altered settings in the Bios before exiting.

D.) With your external back up media plugged in to a USB port I.E. External USB hard drive, flash drive etc and the Linux Puppy CD ROM inserted into the CD drive, close down your machine and:

E.) Boot from the CD, you may get a message to "press any key to continue booting from CD" so allow this, Now follow the on-screen Linux Puppy prompts (remember don't install it) let it run in memory, it will be quite happy doing so, and will allow you access to your Hard drive so you can copy off to your external media anything you need. You will soon get used to Puppy and you'll find that you will be able to use the Internet and do most things that you want to do.

However as you need to back up your files, I suggest you concentrate on copying off your important stuff first.

I'll have a quick look into the error code and see if there is a fix, or any advice from Dell.

[solo58]

I'm a little confused about which file exactly to download. I'd appreciate some specific guidance. There's one for the Celeron and one for Atom? Then there's Mirror 1 or Mirror 2 And SFS Addons

[Nahumi]

Okay, after a bit of digging it seems that your Hard Drive is probably on it's way out.

A more conclusive test, however, would be to run Chkdsk from the Windows XP Installation Disc. It's possible that the machine wont boot from the cd drive because the boot priority is set to Hard Drive first. Just enter your BIOS and go to "Boot Sequence". Make sure that your CD Drive is at the top of the list. Then try the XP Installation disc again.

If it boots from disc, let the machine load up the first screen and then press R. This will open up the Recovery Console. Into this type "chkdsk /r" , minus the quotation marks of course. Let the test run and then post back the results.

If it doesn't boot from CD, and it doesn't boot normally, it might be an idea to take it your local PC repair shop. If you're still under Dell Warranty, or bought an extension, it might be worth phoning them up. They may send you a replacement hard drive.

P.S. You'll need to check your BIOS Boot Sequence if you want to recover your files. Let me know if you can use Puppy Linux before trying Chkdsk.

[Nahumi]

For Imgburn click the link below:
http://fileforum.bet...rn/1128426215/1

And for puppy linux, click this one:
http://distro.ibibli....1/lupu-510.iso

[solo58]

I'd like to try Puppy Linux first and save the data if at all possible. Need your help on specifically which file to download from the Puppy Linux web site.

[Nahumi]

Just click on the second link on my last post. That should download the .iso directly.

[solo58]

OK - Just to be clear, I'm writing an image file to disk...correct?

[Nahumi]

Yes. You need to burn a new CD from the .iso file. This disc will be a bootable disc, meaning that your laptop will be able to run Puppy Linux without having to install it. Once you've burned the disc using a different machine, simply put it into your laptop and follow the steps above to ensure that the Boot Sequence in your BIOS is configured correctly.

[solo58]

This is working in bits and pieces. I first tried to copy the entire "my documents" folder into the backup harddrive. That jammed everything. Then I tried folder by folder. Only parts of the folder would copy. So now I'm doing groups of about ten files at a time. Is there a better way? Is there a way to get out of a jam? What happens when I "kill" a window?

[Nahumi]

Killing a window shouldn't do anything, other than stop showing the files, or stop transferring them. On a healthy hard drive files should be able to move around freely. The fact that it doesn't strongly suggests that the hard drive is faulty and needs to be replaced. The other possibility is that your machine can't transfer the files from the hard drive into RAM, and then from RAM into your USB stick. This is unlikely considering that Puppy Linux is running fine. My only advice is to keep going. As long as the laptop doesn't get too hot, and as long as you don't get any major hardware malfunctions, you should be okay to keep copying. Try to copy the most important files and documents. Copying whole applications or a lot of mp3's might not be the best way forward. Keep me updated.

[solo58]

Anywhere I can find help for Puppy Linux?

[solo58]

OK - I've transferred all the files to the external hard disk. I'm going to order a new HD. Can I clone the old one, rather than have to re-load all the applications?

[Nahumi]

You can, but I doubt it will work. In most cases backup software needs a fully functioning hard drive to work. Your best bet would be to get a Hard Drive Caddy and use something like "DriveImage XML". The issue is that it will probably pick up all the faults in the hard drive. Trying to restore your PC with an image of the old hard drive will just bring all the problems back unfortunately. My advice, unfortunately, is to install a clean copy of Windows on your new hard drive, copy across your documents and reinstall all your software. It's the least troublesome option, and you are unlikely to transfer any of the problems from the old hard-drive. Before you order though, did you try running Chkdsk from the Windows XP Installation disc?

[solo58]

OK - I used the installation disk. I booted in dos mode and ran chkdsk from the c drive. I also ran scandisk. No problems were detected. I've ordered a new disk. Is there are way I can access my documents in dos mode? DOS mode seems to be working?